This is what I miss about being in Canada. Celebrating different ethnic festivals and honouring diversity. In cosmopolitan Singapore, there isn't very much of that happening which is kinda sad, at least not what I've seen. People largely keep to themselves and hold deep seated racial and cultural prejudices against people different from them.
Overheard a Singaporean Chinese talking to his colleague, an Indian national at the traffic office while trying to get my license converted.
Singaporean Chinese: You know why the line is so long and the process so slow?
Indian national: heee...(obviously didn't understand the question so didn't give appropriate comment)
Singaporean Chinese: You know why or not? (clearly exasperated)
Indian national shakes his head and smiles like a good natured man.
Singaporean Chinese: Because everyone behind that counter is Malay and they're slow and lazy. (He chuckles like he just told the best fucking joke the world's ever heard.)
Indian national clearly didn't understand him but laughs along.
I wonder what the Chinese man says to his Chinese friends about poor blue collar Indian bloke here.
I find it very disturbing when people make comments like that. Maybe it's coz I've always been accepting of different races, cultures and traditions, ever since I was a kid. Then while in Canada, I was exposed to a fairly good mix of people and that has definitely opened my eyes. Of course it reinforced some stereotypes but it also helped dispelled others. It was a good lesson but more importantly it taught me to not judge people so quickly based on their skin colour or cultural background. To me, a person is human, first and foremost, respect and equality are expected.
Anyways, I think these cultural festivals are a great way to bring together people of the same ethnic groups and also to engage others to understand the different cultures and traditions other than their own. It helps to break down barriers when people are open to being exposed to differences, because if fear is in the unknown, then wouldn't it open up some eyes if that fear was dispelled?
So when I heard that the Thai festival was gonna be in town, I told Da Bi we GOTTA check it out. There were stalls selling Thai handicrafts, textiles, apparel and knick knacks. There were also dance performances which were so beautiful to watch. The Thais and Caucasians came out in droves, but sadly, not many Singaporeans.
The best part of the festival was the food station!! It was Thai feast galore!! The trip was sooo worth it as we stuffed our faces full of yummy pad thai, mango salad, sweet potato fries, pineapple fried rice, thai ice tea.....mouthwatering!
Colourful banners outside the Thai Embassy.
Got myself a fresh Thai coconut and it was sooo sweet and good!
Hot Thai ladies performing royal dances. They were so elegant and graceful. I don't know where these demure women came from, they were unearthly. They looked like they glided while the rest of us stomped. Sorry about the pic, don't know what happened there, but who cares, their pretty faces make up for it.
A very pretty cultural candle dance.
At the end of the performances, the audience was invited to come onstage and take pics with the dancers. No one wanted to go up so I jumped at the opportunity and ran up there! Then a line followed after that! Heee...
Da Bi wanted his chance with the hot ladies too....and a man...oh well.
Da Bi wanted his chance with the hot ladies too....and a man...oh well.
Our Thai mango salad maker. She made it sooooo spicy and soooo good, we went back and bought seconds to bring home.
Shredded green mangoes, ingredients for the mango salad.
Huge urn used for mixing papaya salads.
No, these are not deep friend maggots or cockroaches. Those 'delicacies' you can only find in Thailand. The chicken wings looked soooo yummy but we resisted coz it was too 'heaty' for my sick body. It felt like we were being stalked by chicken wings though, everywhere we turned, we saw them. It was torturous not having them!
Sweet potato fries! These were sooo yummy, we finished the whole box. They're coated very lightly with some flour mixture and were oh-so-good.
Huge urn used for mixing papaya salads. 
No, these are not deep friend maggots or cockroaches. Those 'delicacies' you can only find in Thailand. The chicken wings looked soooo yummy but we resisted coz it was too 'heaty' for my sick body. It felt like we were being stalked by chicken wings though, everywhere we turned, we saw them. It was torturous not having them!
Sweet potato fries! These were sooo yummy, we finished the whole box. They're coated very lightly with some flour mixture and were oh-so-good.We were so happy when we left the festival coz our bellies were full of good and cheap Thai food. Only disappointment was that there was nothing on Muy Thai, the national sport of Thailand.
Ah well...we still had a blast and I hope to see more cultural festivals in Singapore in the future.
Speaking of food, my tummy is growling now...time for a snack!
Lady P.
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